Seen in the News

[Stanley]

I once talked to a waiter in the US and asked him if it was true that some waiters would spit on the meal of someone who had offended them. He said he had seen it happen. I can never get that image out of my mind so £45 for a meal at the dirty Duck?
Tiz I have the sane opinion about Creationists as I have of flat-earthers and climate change deniers. Nuff said.

[Tizer]

I'm glad to see this news about free speech. Someone has to stand up for it...
`JK Rowling joins 150 public figures warning over free speech' LINK

[Stanley]

I would have been more impressed if that letter had been written when the free speech of people like whistle blowers in industry and the NHS became evident. From what I can see they are concentrating on personal freedoms.
The UN report that the chances of dying of hunger are greater than that from Covid. They say that global famine rates are rising. The pandemic has damaged the world economic and social organisation which has led to cuts in relief. Add to this cases like India where farmers have not been able to harvest crops because travel bans and lockdowns have cut off migrant labour leading to food shortages in cities. There are always unsuspected consequences.

[Tizer]

There are lots of these big cranes in town centres now and this is going to worry people living, working or just passing near them...
`Bow crane collapse: One dead and four injured in crane collapse' LINK

[Stanley]

""We must ensure the lessons are learned so an accident like this never happens again," he added."
Fat chance of that. Even in the best circumstances operating large cranes always carries an element of risk.

[Whyperion]

It occurred while the crane was being assembled, which unless something unforeseen occurred would indicate a lack of skill, training or procedure.

[Tizer]

This is a helpful article by Roger Harrabin looking at the ins and outs of the government's proposed subsidies for home improvements...
`Free home insulation: Too good to be true?' LINK

[Stanley]

I have great difficulty believing that serious government effort is going into insulating poor people's houses.

[Tripps]

I have great difficulty believing that serious government effort is going into insulating poor people's houses.

Surely it has been done already. I had the loft insulation topped up under such a scheme about 10 - 15 years ago, and my present house was surveyed and found not to need any more. The only suggestion was to have reflective foil behind the radiators, which I declined.

However standards of insulation are probably higher now so perhaps it needs another look.

Perhaps I'll get free triple glazing? I doubt it will happen though.

[Tizer]

Remember the credit crunch and the councils that foolishly invested in Icelandic banks? Here we go again...
`Councils lose millions in Covid-19 crunch' Guardian
`Thousands of jobs are set to go and local services face cuts as councils in England count big income losses from commercial investments in office blocks, retail parks, airports and cinemas. The investments – part of an effort to find alternative income sources during austerity cuts – have been badly hit by virus lockdowns. Guardian analysis indicates that more than 30 local authorities receive at least a quarter of their annual income from commercial investments. MPs will warn today that some local authorities have taken on “extreme” levels of debt to finance their commercial property spree, risking cuts to services and a big bill for local taxpayers. The most notorious of the property speculators is tiny Spelthorne district council in Surrey, which has built up a £1bn portfolio in four years, snapping up assets such as BP’s head offices in Sunbury-on-Thames for £380m. Conservative-led councils in south-east England are among the most exposed, accounting for more than half of the commercial property acquired between 2016 and 2019.'

[Stanley]

I'm all for conservative and prudent economic management when it comes to public funds. Remember the Church Commissioners getting badly bitten when they ventured into property speculation a few years ago? They have never recovered from it. So the news doesn't surprise me.

[plaques]

Why do counciliors think they know more about investing than the boys with red braces selling them duff stock. Locally our people have been selling off prime site buildings at fire sale prices to raise money. Why others are buying property is a mystery unless they know that at some future date they will have to sell it to their pals at a loss in effect transferring public money into private hands under the guise of failed investment.

[Tizer]

This will be another of those too little too late projects. We were told on the radio this morning that the Environment Agency is to be given stronger powers to force the planners to reject proposals to build on flood plains. The planners have been ignoring the protestations of the EA for 20 years or more. Why weren't they given `stronger powers' earlier?
`Natural solutions boosted to help prevent floods' LINK

[PanBiker]

I also think that there should be a complete ban on building on green field in any area where there are brown field sites available. Also any major development should also include funding from the builders for the existing infrastructure such as drainage, sewers, local amenities, schools and medical facilities. You cant keep adding hundreds of extra houses on top of limited infrastructure.

[Whyperion]

EA was removed from list of consultations I thought from one appn I looked at, the previous has been withdrawn following flood risk, the follow up claimed to mitigate the possibility of direct flooding to its properties was was passed on officer recomendation.

P - doesnt community infrastructure levy apply for > 9 dwellings applied for. plus, presumably, new residents will be additional council tax payers ?

[Whyperion]

Why do counciliors think they know more about investing than the boys with red braces selling them duff stock. Locally our people have been selling off prime site buildings at fire sale prices to raise money. Why others are buying property is a mystery unless they know that at some future date they will have to sell it to their pals at a loss in effect transferring public money into private hands under the guise of failed investment.

Govt told councils to raise money this way. No concept of Best Value though,

[Stanley]

Peter and Ian, dead right both of you. Perhaps we should send them this.

[PanBiker]

doesnt community infrastructure levy apply for > 9 dwellings applied for. plus, presumably, new residents will be additional council tax payers ?

It may well do but over the last 60 years that I can remember in Barlick, there have been hundreds of extra houses built in the town. I have never seen any upgrade to the sewers and our doctors are still working from a few linked terraced houses. One primary school has closed, two others have moved into new buildings but are still over subscribed. You can't keep building and importing more population onto existing infrastructure. The building expansion needs proper joined up thinking rather than being based solely on capitalist profit schemes.

[Whyperion]

The building expansion needs proper joined up thinking rather than being based solely on capitalist profit schemes.

Applies everywhere, But are the buyers of the new houses those with school-age families, most of the kids tend to be in the terraces and coates etc areas, less so in the new houses which seem more retirement/commuter properties for older workers in Skipton .

[Stanley]

Dead right Ian.

[PanBiker]

I seem to remember, when I was a lad that the population of Barlick in the late 50's was always given as around 10,000. I think it is about 11,600 or so now. That's an extra 1.600 folk using the same, and in many cases less infrastructure and amenities than we had 60 years ago.

[Tripps]

Could that idea be broadened out and applied to the whole United Kingdom?

[Tizer]

Here in Taunton they've overloaded the amenities severely by building big estates of houses on the north-east side and now they're about to start on the west. It's the fastest growth in Somerset and now has a population of about 115,000.

[Tizer]

This is reminiscent of what's happening here in Cornwall and East Anglia but the Aussie houses look much more expensive!
`New South Wales erosion: Huge swells leave homes at risk of collapse' LINK

This is happier news from Australia...
`The bilbies 'thriving' after a 100-year absence in New South Wales' LINK

[Stanley]

Never heard of the Bilbie Peter. What a lovely little animal! I watched the video on tree kangaroos as well, never heard of them either. Nice videos to start the day!